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Wii Launch: The Waiting Game

Following high profile events in New York and LA, GI.biz takes a look at the Wii launch elsewhere in the US.

Midnight marked the pre-Sunday launch of the Wii in North
America. While Reggie Fils-Aime handed out the very first Wii
unit in New York, the rest of the country was playing a
waiting game.

At a Wal-Mart just north of Austin, Texas, there were two
dozen people waiting to pick up one of the store's 20
allocated units. The previously stocked shelves were emptied
with the games and controllers piled in the back of the
store, behind the registers.

There were two types of people waiting. Of course, there were
the Nintendo fans - one even wore a full-size tail coming
from under his jacket, a la Star Fox. The fan boys exchanged
information, claiming that "30,000 defective PS3s" had been
sold already.

The other contingent was the soccer moms; some sunburned and
windswept from waiting for several days outside, and some
accompanied by their children.

One mother boasted that she didn't plan to sell the console
she bought, unlike so many of those who picked up a
PlayStation 3. But several children from her family had a
ticket and were purchasing a unit, oddly.

Another mother walked off to talk to a man who had joined the
end of the queue just moments before. She quietly offered to
sell him a Wii - and later, in the parking lot, struck up
deals with two other buyers.

As she drove away, she rolled down the window to call out to
a shopper who was walking away empty handed - "Wanna buy a
Wii?". The asking price was US $370 - almost a third above
the official price point of US $249.99.

Following Wal-Martās limited midnight launch,
the majority of consumers picked up their Wii consoles on
Sunday morning. Target opened at 8am, with 60 systems. First
in line - and there since 2.30pm on Saturday - was lifelong
Nintendo fan William. "I didnāt even bother with
the PS3,ā he commented, adding that the situation as
"too crazy for me to ever try".

How convinced was William that it would be worth the wait? "I
am fairly positive it will be. Iām almost sure
it will be. I canāt imagine this being
disappointing," he said.

Standing at the end of the line, and trying in vain to sell
his ticket to passers-by, was Andrew. He was one of those who
took part in Friday's drive-by water balloon assault on
people queueing for a PlayStation 3; the group hit five
stores in total.

One hour after Target sold out of its supply of Wii units,
Best Buy opened its doors, offering 63 consoles. At the front
of the line was Stevie Ray, who waited in line for 30 hours.

According to Stevie Ray's father, "The real story is he tried
to get the PS3 and failed by one."

His son chimed in, "I think the PlayStation 3 sort of
overshadowed the Wii, so not many people knew about the Wii
coming out."

Across the street, three people were waiting outside Toys R
Us - despite a sign which read, 'SORRY, NO WIIS AVAILABLE'.

Back at Best Buy, the general manager opened the store's
doors with a theatrical flourish, asking the crowd if they
were ready for the Wii. Employees cheered the customers on,
and there was applause and high-fives.

As one Wii buyer passed through checkout, a sales clerk
warned, "When you get to the parking lot, hold onto this..."

Meanwhile, Stevie Ray was also on his way home, carrying two
large bags. His father said that he'd picked up every single
extra available, explaining that if his son waited for 30
hours to buy a console with his own money, the least a parent
could do was to pay for the accessories. The total bill? Just
a touch over US $1200.